Nature and humankind are both great artists, and when they join forces, amazing masterpieces can be produced.

Today Bright Side has collected for you works in which the combined efforts of mother nature and photographic artists have captured magic moments showing the wondrous diversity of modern life and the natural world.

Golden Globes 2016: The Best Moments

Look, it’s not like the best films won. (Clearly the Hollywood Foreign Press Association did not watch, or did not understand The Big Short.)

The Golden Globes, however, are not seriously considered awards.

They are less about who wins than who makes the most memorable face or who says the most outrageous thing.

Here, thus, are my favourite bits from what was, overall, a glitzy but forgettable awards show:

Ricky Gervais speaks up for equal wages for men and women

Image: Host Ricky Gervais. Photograph: Paul Drinkwater/Getty Images

Gervais’ opening monologue wasn’t much to write home about, the comedian trying desperately to shock his way to laughter by talking about Caitlyn Jenner and Transparent actor Jeffrey Tambor. But the one gag that struck a chord was when he spoke about how he believed completely in men and women getting paid exactly the same to do exactly the same job.

‘I’m getting paid exactly as much as Amy and Tina were last year,’ he tittered smugly, and while it was a fine line, he didn’t come close to doing the same job as Poehler and Fey.

Mozart In The Jungle, an uneven but quirky Amazon show about classical musicians, has a great cast and that might be one of the reasons why the HFPA picked it as the best comedy series of the year.

The idea Mozart beating out fellow nominees Transparent, Veep and Silicon Valley, all stunningly good, is patently ridiculous, which was reflected in the priceless expression Bernal, one of the show’s lead actors, wore on his face as he stumbled incredulously onto stage behind the rest of the pack.

Sylvester Stallone has been a frontrunner in the Best Supporting Actor race this year for his terrific work in Creed but the minute presenter Patricia Arquette took his name, the floor erupted.

Stallone walked to the stage and there was a hearfelt standing ovation for the 69-year-old actor and also, as Sly acknowledged, for the character of Rocky Balboa who has, over seven films, been one of the screen’s most enduring best underdogs.

It was a touching moment which would have been perfect had Stallone not forgotten to thank Creed director Ryan Coogler or leading man Michael B Jordan.

All those knocks to the head, eh Rocky?

Aziz Ansari reading a book

Image: Aziz Ansari. Photograph: People Magazine/Twitter

As sight gags go, Master Of None star Aziz Ansari nailed it.

As his name was being called as a nominee for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, Ansari — in deference to the rightful category frontrunner (who happens to be, alas, in the wrong category) — hid behind a mocked-up hardcover book titled Losing To Jeffrey Tambor With Dignity.

This year Gervais introduced the Mad Max star with a feeble Bill Cosby joke, but later, standing next to him, asked him what ‘sugart**s’ (a weird and inappropriate term Gibson had, while intoxicated, used for a female police officer during his scandal) really meant.

It was a shocking moment, certainly, but for me, more than the bleeped out line itself the magic lay in the effect it had on Alan Cumming in the audience, his big round glasses nearly flying off his face, rendered dumbstruck by utter awe.

Hanks can do anything, and as he presented the Cecil B De Mille Lifetime Achievement award to his Philadelphia co-star Washington, he started out with a great Denzel impersonation before going on to herald the actor as one of the finest leading men of all time.

Washington, looking either very overwhelmed or very sheepish, brought his family up on stage to accept the award, couldn’t read his speech because he didn’t have his glasses, but, in a rare moment of applause for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, thanked them sincerely and said ‘They’ve always made me feel like a friend, or like part of the party.’

The time the stoic presenter broke form to laugh

Image Taraji P Henson, winner of Best Performance in a Television Series – Drama for Empire. Photograph Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The Best Actress in a Drama Series award went to Taraji P Henson for Empire, and, because she won for playing a character named Cookie, she took two handfuls of cookies and started handing them out to people around her and on the way to the stage.

The Globes presenter, who normally robotically mentions the number of nominations and wins per person, seemed to only get the joke when reading out the name of her character, at which point he couldn’t help chuckling.

Ridley Scott won Best Picture (Comedy) for The Martian, beating out David O Russell’s Joy, but that didn’t stop Russell from warmly congratulating veteran director Scott while himself proudly wearing a big scarlet kiss-mark on his cheek given by his Joy star Jennifer Lawrence.

J Law, winning the Best Actress (Comedy) award for Russell’s film, professed her undying gratitude to the director and said she’d like to be buried next to him.

The moment of the night

Image: Quentin Tarantino accepts the award for Best Original Score – Motion Picture for The Hateful Eight on behalf of Ennio Morricone. Photograph: by Paul Drinkwater/Getty Images

The best score this year is, without question, Ennio Morricone’s sweeping and majestic theme that holds Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight in place, and it rightfully won Best Score.

Morricone wasn’t around but Tarantino picked up the award for the composer, and immediately declared Morricone the greatest composer of all time.

It was a ludicrous, poorly-worded statement coming from a giddy fan, but it hit Leonardo DiCaprio hard and the actor — who played a memorable slave-owner villain in Tarantino’s Django Unchained last year — couldn’t help giggling at the director’s insane bombast, shoulders shaking with mirth.

At The Comeback, we love sports and pop culture all year ’round, including December, so we don’t understand why so many best-of-the-year lists are announced before the year is actually over. This week, the last of 2015, we want to share with you some of our bests. From the best male and female athletes, to the best new TV shows and movies, to the best coaches, the best superheroes, the most memorable moments and storylines, to who had the best year of anyone on the planet, we’re running down the best list of best lists of anyone in 2015.

Next up on the list of lists, the 15 Best Female Athletes in 2015. (Click here for our list of the top 15 male athletes of 2015.)

Rankings are, by their very nature, subjective. Attempting to compare, contrast, and then rank, an incredible group of women who play a variety of different sports? Yeah, it’s safe to say that opinions may vary. So let’s start with something that likely everyone can agree on. 2015 was an incredible year for female athletes. These 15 women, and countless others, accomplished amazing things on the field, the court, the octagon. But then, that’s not hardly new, or novel.

What made this year remarkable, and encouraging, were the strides made in the exposure, the coverage, the recognition that so many of these exceptional women received.

That’s not to be naive of course. Women’s sports still face obstacles, and a steep uphill climb, when compared to the attention, and economic rewards, bestowed on their male counterparts. But many of the women listed below helped this year to demonstrate not only that they could deliver incredible feats of athleticism, but that if given the proper platform, they could certainly attract an audience. So quibble with the specifics of these rankings, (and hey, feel free to send along your thoughts), but there’s really no arguing the impact of these women. Sometimes literally.

15. Flavia Pennetta

Have to give some love to the one non-Serena winner of a Grand Slam in 2015. And Pennetta’s story, winning her first Slam at the age of 33, and then announcing she would soon retire during her victory speech, is the stuff of legend.

14. Erica Enders

In addition to winning her second consecutive NHRA Pro Stock World Championship, 2015 also saw Enders break the record for most wins by a female driver in a single season.

13. Celia Sasic

The 2015 Women’s World Cup wasn’t just about the USWNT, so here’s to Germany’s Golden Boot winner, who scored six goals in six matches, and then announced her retirement, capping an incredible career at the age of just 27.

12. Katie Ledecky

In quantitative, timed sports like swimming, the numbers tend to speak for themselves. So here goes. Five gold medals—and three world records—at the 2015 World Championships, along with being named FINA’s Female Swimmer of the Meet.

11. Breanna Stewart

Connecticut Women’s Basketball has been so strong, so consistent, that we almost take it for granted. It is saying something, then, that the incredibly well-rounded Stewart will bid to become the first player in women’s hoops history to win four national titles in four years.

10. Sasha Banks

Yes, the outcomes in professional wrestling are predetermined. Sure, WWE is “sports entertainment” rather than pure competition. But if you’re going to deny the athleticism of Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado, well, then you just haven’t seen her work. And we highly recommend you remedy that right away. Banks is at the forefront of a group of women whose physical abilities are changing what people think is possible for female talent in pro-wrestling. When you combine that with the electric, compelling, charismatic, “Boss” persona that she has created, you begin to understand why so many have her pegged as one of the foundational stars that WWE will build around in the future.

9. Abby Wambach

Admittedly, Wambach’s selection is something of a « lifetime achievement award, » given that she was undeniably past her prime by the time she took the pitch in Canada. That’s all fine, but Wambach deserves a place on this list, not only because of 255 appearances for the national team, or her 184 goals, an international record for women or men. The retiring captain of American soccer belongs here because 2015 was the year in which she finally achieved the only goal that had thus far eluded her, a World Cup victory, and she did it by virtue of her dedication, her longevity, and her leadership, allowing an incredible group of young teammates, players that she helped inspire, and grow, to carry her to soccer’s ultimate prize.

8. Crystal Dunn

Striker Crystal Dunn was one of the final cuts for the USWNT’s World Cup roster, a moment that would be undeniably crushing for any athlete. “I think as soon as I got that news, I went through my venting stage,” she told Laken Litman earlier this year. By her own admission, Dunn had seen very little adversity in her career to that point. She handled it about as well as anyone could, turning in a standout season for the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League, scoring 15 goals to lead the league, and take home the Most Valuable Player award. She joined the USWNT after the World Cup and doesn’t look likely to relinquish that spot anytime soon.

7. Lydia Ko

– New Zealand’s Lydia Ko wasted no time in letting the golf world know that, yes, the high expectations placed upon her were justified, and great things are in store. Back in September, Ko took home a six-stroke victory in the Evian Championship. It’s the first major win of her career, and it’s probably a pretty safe bet that it won’t be the last. Much has been made, and justifiably so, about the new wave of young guns on the PGA Tour, from Rory McIlroy, to Jordan Spieth, to Jason Day, to Rickie Fowler. But oh, by the way, at just 18 years old, it’s Ko who is the youngest No. 1-ranked player, man or woman, in golf history.

6. Holly Holm

When Holly Holm delivered the leg kick that ended Ronda Rousey’s reign as the UFC’s women’s bantamweight champion, she did more than simply win a fight. She also pulled off one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history, made herself immediately into a household name, and perhaps most importantly, demonstrated the next evolution of women’s MMA. It remains to be seen if Holm can attain anything close to Rousey’s crossover stardom, or, for that matter, if she can even keep the belt from “Rowdy” in the inevitable rematch. But no matter what happens moving forward, Holly Holm is a sign that women’s MMA is getting stronger, and deeper.

5. Megan Rapinoe

It’s hard to imagine a more indispensable piece of the USWNT than Megan Rapinoe. From her midfield position, Rapinoe was, quite literally, the center of everything for the American women in Canada. When the team looked somewhat listless in early matches, much of the conversation centered on how she could better facilitate the attack. But after missing the team’s quarterfinal match thanks to a second yellow card, the U.S. finally ignited in Rapinoe’s return, posting overwhelming wins over Germany and Japan, two of the team’s biggest international rivals.

Those wins ensured that Rapinoe would become one of the biggest breakout stars of the World Cup, with casual fans getting to know her guitar stylings, her boisterous personality, and her obvious comfort in her own skin. (Let’s be honest, she probably deserves a place in the Top-5 for this Vine alone.)

Sadly, Rapinoe’s most recent headlines came as a result of a torn ACL suffered in training. But it undoubtedly won’t be long before the U.S. star is back in form, anchoring one of the most impressive teams in all of sports. And in the meantime, because, well, nothing can contain Rapinoe’s positive vibes, she decided to find some new training partners.

4. Elena Delle Donne
The story of Elena Delle Donne’s journey away from basketball, and back again, is well chronicled. A highly touted recruit who was expected to become UConn’s next generational star, Delle Donne instead stepped away from the game, enrolling at Delaware to remain closer to home, and taking a break from hoops to play volleyball. On a human level, one couldn’t help but applaud her decision to do what was best for her, personally, despite outside pressures and expectations. But as a fan of basketball? One can’t help but be grateful she found her way back again.

Delle Donne elevated her game to a whole new level in 2015, posting a PER of 32.7. (Psssst …. that’s higher than LeBron has ever managed in the NBA.) She took the Chicago Sky to the playoffs for the third straight season, won her first WNBA MVP, and basically asserted herself as the best women’s basketball player in the world, in an era that also features Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Brittney Griner, and Candace Parker. In short, she commands her sport as well as any athlete in the world, and the only question that remains is if she has an even higher level still to achieve.

3. Ronda Rousey
Yes, she was defeated. And yes, the woman who ended her title reign sits below her in these rankings, which, admittedly, is a little counterintuitive. But Holly Holm has a lot of work to do, not simply to equal the length of Ronda Rousey’s reign, but also to equal her cultural impact. Because let’s be honest, calling Rousey an exceptional athlete, while true, almost shortchanges what she was able to accomplish in 2015.

In addition to becoming one of the most bankable stars in the UFC’s history, Ronda Rousey appeared in major film franchises, became a regular on the talk show circuit, stole the show at Wrestlemania, and basically became a pop-culture icon. In the wake of her stunning loss to Holm, plenty are wondering what happens now, if Rousey will be able to retain the same cultural cache and star power without that same air of invincibility. It’s a fair question, but in this space, we’re taking a moment to acknowledge and honor just how incredible it is that “Rowdy” grew to this stature in the first place. Just a few years ago, Dana White claimed we’d “never” see women in the UFC. Today, there are two divisions, as compelling as any in the sport. All hail the power of Ronda Rousey.

2. Carli Lloyd
When you hold the world at rapt attention, you deserve a place near the top of any list. And on July 5th, all eyes were on Carli Lloyd, as she authored one of the great championship performances in history. A hat trick, in the early stages of the World Cup final, turned what many had expected to be a tense, dramatic, tightly contested affair, into essentially a coronation for the USWNT. American women’s soccer had gone 16 years since their last World Cup win, and it only took 16 glorious minutes for Carli Lloyd to ensure that the waiting was over.

Our nation’s national team has never been more stocked with talent. Hope Solo. Becky Sauerbrunn. Alex Morgan. Tobin Heath. Ali Krieger. Christen Press. Julie Johnston. Morgan Brian. Head Coach Jill Ellis had arguably the easiest and hardest job in the world, trying to figure out how to effectively employ such an embarrassment of riches. And it’s a testament to Carli Lloyd that even alongside such phenomenal teammates, she left no doubt of her status as the best of the best, something recently reinforced, as she was named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year and was put on the short list for Fifa Women’s Player of the Year.

1. Serena Williams
In the end, there was a controversy. Of course there was a controversy. When Serena Williams was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year, her decision to pose for the magazine’s cover seated on a throne came in for criticism, in at least one writer’s mind, because, well, because it was too powerful? Because she was too sexy? Because it wasn’t tennis-ey enough? (To be perfectly honest, we’re still not entirely sure.)

But it still somehow seemed fitting, because let’s be honest, Serena Williams is quite used to this sort of thing. She’s heard literally every form and fashion of criticism in her illustrious career, from her fashion choices, to her priorities in life, to her fitness level, to her choice of celebrations. Serena Williams has been through it all, and in fact, 2015 saw her, in one of the most powerful moments of the year, forgive some of the most ludicrous and painful treatment she ever received, returning to Indian Wells for the first time since the brutal treatment she and her family received back in 2001.

This time, even as she was forced to withdraw with an injury, Serena was hailed by the crowd as a conquering hero. And why not? Serena has been under scrutiny, much of it wholly unfair, for her entire career. But she has always manage to overwhelm it, overpower it, through her performance, and 2015 was no exception.

Her 19th, 20th, and 21st career Grand Slam titles.

A record of 53-3.

A wire-to-wire No. 1 ranking, for the second year in a row.

This.

It’s accomplishments like these that allow Serena Williams to tune out all the noise, to live her life, and chart her career, on her own terms. Chances are there will be some new Serena Williams “controversy” in 2016. And chances are, she’ll run right through it, like she’s been doing for almost two decades now, as one of the most iconic athletes in history.

At The Comeback, we love sports and pop culture all year ’round, including December, so we don’t understand why so many best-of-the-year lists are announced before the year is actually over. This week, the last of 2015, we want to share with you some of our bests. From the best male and female athletes, to the best new TV shows and movies, to the best coaches, the best superheroes, the most memorable moments and storylines, to who had the best year of anyone on the planet, we’re running down the best list of best lists of anyone in 2015.

First up on the list of lists, the 15 Best Male Athletes in 2015.

When we set out to rank only the 15 top male athletes of 2015, we realized the task was nearly impossible. Is winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a bigger deal than capturing the American League MVP award, or is being the college player of the year enough to earn a place among the greatest pros? Is this from an American-centric perspective or a global one, and with that, should the popularity of a sport matter? Is there such thing as lifetime achievement points? Do off-field factors matter?

After some healthy debate and plenty of rough drafts, we’ve come up with a pretty solid list of the top 15 male athletes of 2015.

Before we get to our final 15, here are 15 guys who just deserve honorable mention:

Jason Day — the world’s second-best golfer doesn’t quite make our list despite a fantastic 2105
Russell Westbrook — his injury and the Thunder’s overall performance hurt his standing
Usain Bolt — he had perhaps the best week of anyone in sports in 2015, but he wasn’t a yearlong headline-maker
Aaron Rodgers — he was not as good in 2015 as he was in 2014
Kyle Busch — the NASCAR champ surely deserves at least a little love
Lewis Hamilton — absolutely dominant in an under-the-radar sport in America
Cristiano Ronaldo — he is going to hate it when he sees how many Barcelona players made the list and he didn’t
Patrick Kane — off-ice allegations mitigate a great on-ice year
Frank Kaminsky — a great college season, and winning the title would have likely earned him a spot
Derrick Henry — the Heisman winner this season, but let’s talk about the Playoff
Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Jake Arrieta — it was impossible to pick just one, so we didn’t pick any
Floyd Mayweather — he’s a bad guy and a boring fighter
American Pharaoh — we decided to go humans only here
15. Conor McGregor

McGregor’s remarkable 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo at UFC 194 catapulted the MMA star onto the list after solidifying himself as the face of UFC.

14. Cam Newton

Who was even sure a year ago that Cam Newton would even be playing football after his horrific car crash. He stormed onto this list this season, leading a 14-1 Panthers team back to the playoffs and making a strong case for NFL MVP.

13. Neymar

Neymar broke out for Barcelona in 2015 in Lionel Messi’s absence, earning a spot on stage for the Fifa Ballon D’or, and earning a place as one of the best athletes in the world … and almost the best player on his team.

12. James Harden

Harden had the best year of his career in 2014-15, finishing second in NBA MVP voting and lifting the Rockets to second place in the Western Conference.

11. Carey Price

The NHL’s MVP in 2014-15, Price has the Canadiens back in first place for the second straight year.

10. Josh Donaldson

Donaldson batted .297 with 41 home runs and played stellar defense to help the Blue Jays to the playoffs for the first time since 1993. For that performance he won AL MVP, though some of us would have voted for someone else…

9. Mike Trout

With a better average, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS than Donaldson, Trout deserved another AL MVP, as he continued what could be the best start to a career in MLB history. The 24-year-old has played four seasons and finished top-two in MVP voting four times.

8. J.J. Watt

2015 has seen Watt win his second defensive player of the year award in three seasons (a reward for his 2014 performance) and follow up with an almost-as-impressive output this year, one game away from leading the quarterback-less Texans to the playoffs. Off the field, he has shifted from an NFL fan’s hidden treasure to a mainstream superstar/folk hero, with national endorsements and network TV cameos.

7. Lionel Messi

Messi looks likely to reclaim the Ballon D’Or award after putting up huge stats (43 goals, 18 assists in La Liga last season) for a Barcelona team that won the Champions League, La Liga and Copa Del Rey. He also led Argentina to the Copa America final, a national team achievement more notable than any of his best-in-the-world competitors can claim. Messi’s recent ankle injury knocked him down a few spots here, but he was 2015’s best soccer player.

6. Bryce Harper

2015 began with debate over whether Harper was overrated and ended with conversation about whether he is the best player in baseball. That’s what happens when you bat .330/.460/.649 with 42 home runs and win the MVP award unanimously. Given the year he had, it was hard to keep Harper out of the top five. Blame Matt Williams for that.

5. Tom Brady

At one point in 2014, Brady was considered yesterday’s news, playing out the string of a great career. But his play picked up in November and December, and by the time the ball dropped he was back to his former-MVP self, throwing for 921 yards in three playoff games, including 328 (with four touchdowns) in the Super Bowl.

Brady further stepped up his play this season, ranking among the NFL leaders in just about every passing category and establishing himself as one of two or three legitimate candidates for the league’s MVP. A Super Bowl title to start the year and MVP-caliber performance to end it makes 2015 one of the better years of Brady’s remarkable career, flat balls, suspensions, appeals and court-room drama notwithstanding.

4. LeBron James

LeBron didn’t win an MVP award or a title in 2015, but it’s still hard to keep him too far from the top of this list. For one thing, King James has continued to be among the NBA’s best players, averaging 25-6-7 in 2014-15 and upping his stats to 26-8-6 so far this year. He finished third in MVP voting and could have been higher, and he will likely rank up there again in the spring.

But it was LeBron’s playoff performance that earns him a top-five slot here. James dragged a beaten-up Cavaliers team all the way to the Finals and by some miracle stole two games when he got there. The Warriors won the title, but our enduring memory of the series will be LeBron carrying a team starting Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavadova to within two wins of a championship.

3. Jordan Spieth

Few players in golf history have had year like the one Spieth carded in 2015. First, the 25-year-old crushed the Masters field, tying Tiger Woods’ course record at Augusta. Then he won the U.S. Open, becoming the first golfer in 13 years to win the year’s first two majors back-to-back. He “slacked off” with a fourth-place finish at the Open Championship and a runner-up result at the PGA Championship—either or both of which he could have, and maybe should have, won—ascending to the top spot in the world rankings along the way.

All in all, Spieth won six PGA Tournament events in 2015, dominated the earnings leaderboard, won the FedExCup in virtually wire-to-wire fashion, was named tour Player of the Year and established himself as the future face of golf. For good measure, he also signed a 10-year extension with Under Armour worth untold millions of dollars.

2. Novak Djokovic

Djokovic’s dominance has become almost routine, but it’s hard not to marvel at all he accomplished in 2015. Djokovic spent the entire year ranked No. 1 in the world and fended off all challengers with relative ease. He won three Grand Slam events and finished second in the other one, becoming on the third player ever to reach all four major finals. Overall, he was 82-6 in 2015.

This was also the year that elevated Djokovic into the Greatest of All-Time Conversation. He now ranks 10th all-time in tournament titles and tied for 7th in Grand Slam championships, and, at age 28, has plenty of time to add to his trophy case. We might remember 2015 as the absolute peak of one of the best players ever, but there’s little to suggest he can’t do the same or better in 2016.

1. Stephen Curry

This was the only spot on the list that didn’t require a lot of deliberation. In Steph’s first game of 2015, on Jan. 2, he dropped 32 points and 12 assists on the Toronto Raptors, and he never looked back. He won the 2014-15 MVP by averaging 23.8 points and 7.7 assists per game for the Warriors, then upped his game in the playoffs, putting up 28.3 points a game, leading Golden State to the NBA title.

Last season’s performance alone would have put Curry in the top five on this list, but what he’s done these past few months earns him the top spot. Curry is the best player in the league and the leader of a team that began the season on a historic 24-game winning streak. He’s leading the NBA in scoring by more than 3 points and seems to have the 2015-16 MVP all but locked up before New Year’s. Start to finish, it was truly the year of Steph Curry.

As Rugby Union and handball aren’t very popular in the USA i have and greatly want to mention Dan Carter and Richie McCaw for great 2015 year with All Black New Zealand Rugby Union Team World Champion and also Nikola Karabatic for handball for good year with France Team.

Enjoy it as much as I enjoyed to watch again all these best goals, lots of memories !!! All big areas in the world are represented except Oceania in this video.
On the French side for me the second goal of Lilian Thuram in the semifinals against Croatia in 1998 remains truly special for me. After it’s hard to choose just one goal because there are so many that deserve to be the best goal in World Cup history.
What is the best goal in the World Cup history for you ?

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